Mourning dove

Thanks Lisa! I used to get woken up most mornings in the UK by the collared doves - they make such a racket with their wings! We had a pair that used to nest every year in the little cup below the coach lamp on my neighbors car port. I used to watch them as they spent days flying up with twigs & drop them through the narrow bars that connected the cup to the lamp & watch them fall to the ground. Finally they would just lay their eggs directly in the 3" cup & somehow they always succeeded in raising their brood!

I can see what you mean but I think that is just a shadow Lisa. These are definitely not collared doves - we used to get lots of that species in England & they are quite a bit larger than the mourning doves & they also don't have the spots on their wings like these do.

auntnance, I've not seen that behavior but I will keep a lookout for it. They don't seem to be the smartest of birds - I've seen them basking while there was a gray fox rooting around just a few yards from them!

I hadn't realized they were an introduced species - I had assumed they were native to the area. We see quite a few here & they also seem to be a favorite prey for the red-tailed & coopers hawks - I guess they are easy pickings because they feed on the ground.